Method of treating strands



Oct. 22, 1935- 1.. F. LAMPLOUGH El AL 2,018,404

METHOD OF TREATING STRANDS Filed Sept. 19, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 /NVE/VTOR5 LF. LAMPLOUG'H (IE. PLASS W Z ATTORNEY Oct. 22, 1935- F. LAMPLOUGH ET AL METHOD OF TREATING STRANDS Filed Sept. 19, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 //VVEN7'0/? Lf? LAM/=1. ouar/ %E.FLA5 5,

ATTURNEY ed for that purpose.

Patented Oct. 22, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LIETHOD OF TREATING STRANDS Application September 19, 1931, Serial No. 563,768

7 Claims. (01. 91-68) Thisdnvention relates to the treatment of 1 strand material and particularly to apparatus for weatherproofing braided insulated electrical conductors.

Braided insulated electrical conductors are usually prepared by well-known machines adapt- The conductor thus prepared usually requires further treatment, such as weatherproofing; in which the braided material is impregnated with a weatherprooflng compound and thereafter coated with a finishing material such as wax.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved multiple channel weatherprooflng appa-' ratus which will continuously, efficiently, and rapidly weatherproof a multiple numberof braided insulated electrical conductors with a minimum of labor and attention.

In accordance withthis invention the braided insulated conductor is unwound from a supply reel, passed through the various stages of weatherproofing treatment, and rewound upon a takeup reel in a continuous non-stop operation.

In a specific embodiment of the invention, the.

braided insulated conductor is received on suitable supply reels from the braiding machines, unwound therefrom, impregnated with a saturating compound at high temperatures, supplied with a coating of finishing material such as wax, suppliedwith a light coating of powdered antisticking material such as mica over the wax coating, polished in a cooling medium, supplied with a coating of anti-sticking solution, and thereafter rewound on a take-up reel with the necessary intermediate cooling and drying steps and without the conductor being stopped in its continuous path through the apparatus.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be understood by reference to the following specification and accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the impregnating end of a weatherproofing apparatus embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the'coating end of the weatherproofing apparatus, being a continuation of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a'plan view of that portion of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1 disclosing the multiple channel arrangeme t; and

Fig. 4 is a plan view of that portion of the apparatus shown in Fig. 2

The present apparatus discloses a series of operating channels for weatherproofing a series of braided insulated conductors simultaneously and by way of illustration is shown with eight channels, although it is to be understood the apparatus can be adapted for the use of any number of channels. To simplify and clarify the description, the weatherproofing of only one braided 5 insulated conductor will be specifically described.

In the present apparatus disclosed in the drawings, the braided insulated conductor I0 is taken from supply reel I I and passed upwardly over guide roller l2, mounted to freely rotate on the 1 outside of impregnating tank l3. For conveniencein arrangement and conservation of space, the supply reels are advantageously located beneath the impregnating tank l3, as shown in Fig. 1. The conductor in, after passing over guide 15 roller i2, is passed over guide roller l4, mounted to freely rotate on the end of the tank l3.

The impregnating tank i3 is a receptacle for the impregnating compound, which may be an asphalt solution or the like, maintained at a con- 29 stant high temperature by means of submerged steam coils in the tank I 3 (not shown). This tank is provided with counter-balanced covers IE to prevent the hot impregnating compound from being thrown out of the tank as loose ends of the 25 conductor pass therethrough. An exhaust hood l6 placed over the tank removes all smoke and fumes rising from the heated compound. The conductor l0 passes from guide roller l4 through the solution over a series of grooved rollers l1 sub- 30 merged in the compound and is run back and forth around these rollers so as to pass through the solution the entire length of the tank a number of times.- A series of squeeze or wringer rollers I8 are mounted on the tank above the level of the 35 solution at the end of the tank where the conductor passes out of the tank to remove, by squeezing, the excess saturant which flows back into the tank.

The conductor ID, as it leaves the wringer or squeeze rollers, is "at high temperature, and the temperature must be reduced slightly before the conductor can be coated with finishing wax, and

pregnated dried conductor is passed into a waxing tank 23 and a coating of finishing wax material applied thereto by means of complementary grooved waxing rollers 24 and 25. The lower roller 25 is positively driven and is partially submerged in the hot wax so as to pick up and apply a specified quantity of wax to the conductor. The wax in the tank 23 is kept at its required constant temperature by means of a steam coil 26.

To maintain a constant supply of impregnating compound and finishing wax, the melting and supply tanks 21 and 28 are supported on a frame 29 built over the cooling tank I9 for convenience in arrangement and conservation of space. These melting tanks are provided with the usual steam coils 30 for melting the compound and wax and for maintaining the same at the temperature of the compound and wax in the tanks [3 and 23 respectively. The compound and wax are piped from their respective tanks into the impregnating tank l3 and wax tank 23 by means of piping 3| and 32 with control valves 33 and 34 therein. Extending above and between these melting tanks to serve both is a rotary crane 35 which is adapted to lift the drums of impregnating compound or wax for dumping the same into the respective tanks, as shown in Fig. 1.

While the wax is still in a plastic state on the conductor, the conductor is passed through an applicator 36 for applying thereto or dusting on a coating of powdered anti-sticking material such as mica. The applicator 36 has rotated therein by means of its individual motor 31 a vertically mounted lifting spiral 38, which continuously throws the powered anti-sticking material upwardly over the conductor. The excess antisticking material which does not stick to the wax flows downwardly because of the incline 39 to the bottom of the applicator adjacent the spiral.

The conductor as it passes from the applicator has a loose coating of powdered anti-sticking material or mica adhering to the plastic wax, which coating is pressed or embedded into the wax by means of a series of grooved polishing rolls 40 which operate upon the conductor beneath the surface of a cooling medium, such as water, contained in the cooling tank 4 I. This shallow tank 4| provides a cooling bath for the wax which is hardened therein. The tank is provided with a continuous circulation of cooling medium through the inlet 42 and outlets or drains 43.

To remove all moisture adhering to the coating, a series of compressed air nozzles 44 are provided for forcing air upon the conductor as it passes from tank 4| in 'a manner similar to that of the nozzles 22 of the cooling tank 19.

In many instances it is desirable to further treat the conductor and for this purpose the conductor is run upwardly over guide rollers 45 to an anti-sticking solution applicator 46. This applicator consists of a tank 41 for the solution, in which a partially submerged pick-up, positively driven grooved roller 48, with its complementary grooved roller 49, applies a coating of solution to the conductor.

The conductor is passed into a drying chamber or oven 50 from the applicator 46, consisting of two sections 5| and 52 located one above the other with a guide roller 53 between. The drying chamher or oven is supplied with heated air or the like from pipes 54.

From the drying chamber 50 the conductor is led over a guide roller around capstan 55, over a guide roller 55, and wound on take-up reel 51.

The capstan 55 is the motive power for pulling the conductor through the entire apparatus from the supply reel H.

The capstan 55, take-up reel 51, and all driven rollers are operated from central power shaft 58 operated by motor 59. The mechanisms such as -5 driven shafts, gearing, etc., connecting the central power shaft and each of the above-described positively driven elements are not shown with any degree of fullness as their details are of no importance, and a complete exact drawing would 10 conceal rather than disclose the invention.

For the sake of convenience and conservation of space the anti-sticking applicator 46 and the heating chamber or oven 50 are advantageously located above the cooling tank 4|; and the take- 15 up reels 51, together with their operating mechanism, are located below the cooling tank 4|, as shown in Fig. 2.

It is within the scope of this invention to treat the braided insulated conductor in any manner 20 desired, such as eliminating or reversing the order of the various treatments as described above; for example, in some instances it may not be necessary to apply anti-sticking solution to the conductor, while in other instances the application 25 of mica tothe wax may be eliminated and the anti-sticking solution applied directly to the wax coating upon the conductor.

It will be noted that the two cooling steps of the method disclosed, performed respectively in the cooling tanks l9 and 4 I, are definitely controlled as to the amount of temperature reduction effected in the coated strand in each instance, since the "temperature of the cooling medium in the tank at any given moment during 35 operation depends self-evidently upon the controllable velocity of flow of the medium through the tank as well as upon the controllable temperature thereof at its entrance into the tank. The cooling effect is also self-evidently control- 40 lable by varying the speed of the strand through the apparatus. This is of importance since it is found that in some instances an improved product is obtained by so controlling the speed 01' the strand through the-apparatus and the effective (5 temperature of the bath that the coating 01' weatherproofing compound on the strand when the strand enters the tank 23 01' Waxing liquid, is still warm and somewhat soi't. There is then a partial interpenetration of the two coatings 50 at their common surface deep enough to weld the two coatings into an effectively integral whole but not so complete as to permit the sticky weatherproofing compound to appear at or through the outer surface of the wax layer.

While the invention is illustrated and described more particularly with reference to weatherproofing braided insulated electrical conductors and the like, the invention is not confined thereto but is intended to cover any other uses or modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. The method of weatherproofing textile in-r sulated conductors which consists in a continuous operation of first, impregnating the conductor 05 with a heated asphalt compound, slightly cooling the impregnated conductor, applying a coating of heated liquid wax to the partially cooled conductor, and thereafter coating with anti-sticking material. 70

2. The method of weatherproofing textile insulated conductors which consists in a continuous operation of first, impregnating the conductor with a heated asphalt compound, slightly cooling the impregnated conductor, applying a coating of heated liquid wax to the partially cooled conductor, and thereafter coating with antisticking material before any substantial cooling of the heated conductor occurs.

3. The method of weatherproofing textile insulated conductors which consists in a continuous operation of first, impregnating the conductor with a heated asphalt compound, slightly cooling the impregnated conductoflapplying a coating of heated liquid wax to the partially 'cooled conductor, and applying a coating of anti-sticking material to said conductor while the last named coating is still plastic.

4. The method of weatherproofing textile insulated conductors which consists in a continuous operation of first, impregnating the conductor with a heated asphalt compound, slightly cooling the impregnated conductor, applying a coating of heated liquid wax to the partially cooled conductor, applying a coating of anti-sticking material to said conductor while the last named coating is still plastic and thereafter simultaneously compacting, polishing and cooling the coated conductor.

5. The method of weatherproofing textile in sulated conductors which consists in a continuous operation of first,-impregnating the conductor with a heated asphalt compound, slightly cooling the impregnated conductor by immersion sticking material before any substantial cooling of the heated conductor occurs.

7. The'method of weatherproofing textile insulated conductors which consists in a continuous operation of first, impregnating the conductor with a heated asphalt compound, slightly cooling the impregnated conductor by immersion in water, drying, applying a coating of heated 'liquid wax and applying a coating of anti-sticking material before any substantial cooling of the heated conductor occurs and thereafter simultaneously compacting, polishing and cooling the coated conductor.

LESLIE F. LAMPLOUGH. CURTIS E. PLASS. 

